High Heels And Osteoarthritis

Posted byThe PodiatristFebruary 11, 2015Comments Off on High Heels And Osteoarthritis

Guess what? A whole new reason NOT to wear high heeled shoes extensively…

New research published in the Journal of Orthopaedic Research suggests that killer heels could also kill your knees.

As you’ve probably noticed, I’m not a huge fan of high heels. I’ve written extensively about the problems caused by high heels in the past, and now I’ve found a whole new problem – habitual wearing of high heeled shoes can lead to knee degeneration.

According to researchers at the Stanford University Medical Center, wearing high heels can lead to degeneration of knee cartilage and ultimately, osteoarthritis.

For their study, the researchers tracked the walking patterns of 14 women in a variety of footwear. They tested two sets of heels, one being 3.8cm and the other 3.8cm; and they noticed gait changes in both sets. They also noticed that the change in gait forced their knees to absorb additional impact and force. They concluded that over time, this abnormal stress is likely to lead to joint damage, loss of knee cartilage and osteoarthritis.

“Many of the changes observed with increasing heel height and weight were similar to those seen with aging and OA [osteoarthritis] progression.”

It is important to note that the the authors of the research pointed out that they did not actually track the women over time to confirm the development of osteoarthritis; and they also cautioned that other factors like obesity or joint injuries can also contribute to knee degeneration.

Well, it certainly makes a lot of sense to me – I’ve seen how high heels contort the bone structure of the foot, changing alignment throughout the length of the body and putting pressure and weight on areas that were not designed for pressure and weight.

So my advice remains unwavering – if you have to wear them, make it just once in a while. Everything in moderation aye?

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